Feeder‘s Grant Nicholas has revealed that he has to “grit his teeth” while performing some of the band’s most popular songs.

The 46-year-old frontman said he feels embarrassed by some of the early songs he wrote for the band, but admitted that without them, he may not be in the position he is today.

“There are certain songs I feel embarrassed about now,” he told The Independent. “Songs that I have to grit my teeth through while playing live. But, you know, maybe if I hadn’t written them, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

“To many people, we were a good band but a bit boring,” he added. “Then after Jon [Lee, drummer] died, the press suddenly had a story. I accept that. His death still shocks me, and I still think about it all the time. Of course I do. I wonder what would have happened to us if he hadn’t died. Would we still be going? Would we have finished a long time ago?”

Nicholas, whose solo album ‘Yorktown Heights’ is due for release on August 11, admitted that the record wasn’t something he always had in mind: “I actually never really planned on making a solo record because I wrote all the songs in Feeder myself. But increasingly I realised I wanted some time out from the band, and to do something completely different.”